Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-02-04
A PAYMAsTER's ADVENTURE.
Maine Farmer.

for instructions from washington. nav
written for permission to go to New VI
leans, as had relatives there with whoh
wished TO pass the winter monts; ou'
nj the end of the week my hopes were al
nipped in the bud by the following MS
sive:
MAJon-You will proceed at once te
Fort Stetson; thence with all possible dis
patch to Fort Carson; and thence to for'
Kearney; Mt which posts you will pay Oh
the enrolled men and officers, and also
settle all duly authentical bills against
the Office on account of provisions, for
age, camp and garrison stores, etc
II is particularly requested that you
will be careful and exact in your return
the of estimates for the coming winter
months.
Captain Goodwin will detail for you
such escort as you may require.
] have the honor to be, etc,
g. p BOWMAN, ID. 7. M. q.
Major and Paymaster, u. S. A.
TO G. S. CocHRANE.
This did not reach me by the hands of
Captain Goodwin, however, whom l
should have been happy to meet but by
the hands of Sergeant James Connoyer,
who cams with six men under his com
mand, TO escort me if deemed such es-
cort sufficient.
After reading the letter, | raised my
eyes and met the gaze of the sergeant,
who stood with his cap in his hand, on
the opposite side of the small table. lie
started when | looked up, and | thought
he was ashamed of having been caught
staring mt me so fxedly. But the flush
quickly left his face, and he inclined his
head another way.
He was man of medium size, very
heavily built, and evidently very muscU-
lar, In short he was made for a fighter,
and one of those valuable fighters who
possess stubborn will and logged resolu-
ton, rather than hot impetus pugna-
city.
lie was not Il man to be ever i'll a fer
ment; but n man, who when fairly arUus-
ed, IL to be feared. He was not far from
five and forty years of age and the
stripes upon his forearm showed that he
had served four terms of enlistment pre-
viuus to the present
"Wel, sergeant" / said as pleasantly as
possible, Captain Goodwin gives such an
account of you that | feel thankful that
am To have your company, and | trust
you will have no reason TO complain of
me-
went out with the sergeant and found
the six men on the piazza standing at
.nder arms. They were really fine look
ing fellows, and and answered respective
" 10 the names: Smith, Adams, Mealy,
Oesau, Van Writ and Connolly. Smith
was n Yankee, Adams was an Englishman,
and had been in the Queens service "a q
dragoon: Mealy and Connolly were Irish
mon, Oesau was Dutchman, and Van
Writ was II German. The Squad had
como with good horses, so the only prep
nrations | had to make was To get my
own horRo ready and draw my money.
NV estimates had been To the amount
of $4,000, and this | must take III gold
went to the bank with the sergeant and
three Of tho men and got the money,
which | took away i'll four small canvas
bags weighing about forty pounds each
but mt tho hotel packed the gold in a
sort of pannier saddle, contrivanc &c
which | had invented myself, and in
which | could 40 pack anywhere from one
To four hundred poundH of gold that 1T
would neither sway nor Jingle,
We were passing over narrow bridge,
lust ON the outskirts of Jefferson when
we met two men and two boys driving be
fore them n herd of cattle. / had met
and gone clear of the herd without diff
Guilty, and was thinking how | would like
to have one of the father bullocks along
with me, when an exclamation of anger
arrested my attention, and on turning In
my saddle | discovered one of the oxen
wild, frolicsome thing-had attacked
the sorgoant's horse. IL had been quick
~ doue-a frisk leap-a lungu of the
great curving horns at the horses side
the roaring of the latter, and the cOnse-
quent unseating of the sergeant
When Connover had regained his feet,
the frolicsome bullock was away from his
reach; but not SO the innocent drovers.
The two men were near together and di-
rectly by his side as he grasped his sword
hilt and turned upon them. | did not
think Conuovor would harm them; but
they were terribly frightened, neyerthe-
less; and the younger of the two, who
was the first TO speak an intelligent word
(the sergeant had uttered one or two
oathsl.
Excuse me my good friend. | am
sorry, truly sorry, for this mishap; but |
assuso you it was NO fault of ours"
A few seconds he glared into the face of
the man who had spoken 70 him, and
then, prefacing his remark with an oath
OF condemnation, he exclaimed:
g.! If we've "A God, ye'd better thank
Him that Jem Connover don't owe ye
much of a grudgeM
The man muttered something and pass
ed ON to attend to his cattle, while the
sergeant placed his foot III the stirrup,
and as he did SO he looked at me.
Our eyes met and | saw him change
color and start, as though he had done
some guilty thing in thus looking into the
face of his superior officer. | smiled
and nodded, and i'll a pleasant way re-
marked:
"All's we'll that ends well, sergeant"
lie looked at me as though the propo-
sition might be disputed, but presently,
with forced smile he returned;
GAY. ay-that's SOL" And the reply was
emphatic, ms though his decision were a
matter of moment.
/ rode ON, the picture of Connover's
passage with the drover occupying my
mind.
Before this | had fancied that there
was something familiar in the sergeant's
face and in his general tone and bearing.
lie might be the man who swore four
years ago at Smelling that he had been
underpaid, or he might be the man who
had been accidently overpaiS at Column
bus two years before, and who had come
forward of his own accord and made res
titution.
If we've got God, ye'd better thank
Him that Jem Connover don't owe ye
much of grudge.'
Why did those words ring in my ears
and echo through my whole beingY
That night found us at the foot of
Brooks mountain, and at the extreme
verge of civilization in that direction.
Beyond here we were to take the old gov
eminent supply ROAD mere blazed path
with which Conuover and two of his
men We're perfectly familiar, and We
would not strike another settlement until
near to Stetsop.
/ went to sleep thinking of Sergeant
James Counoyer, and il must have been
immediately after my waking senses left
me that my dream senses took up the
thread, and they took il up to some pur-
pose.
| was at Fort Smelling, asecond heuten-
ant of engineers, engaged in surveying
government lands, laying out roads and
so on, and among those detailed to assist
me was a private of the name of James
Conuover.
He got drunk while at work, but when
reprimanded him he used language so of
fensive and foul that | could not pass it
Icy. | reported him, and he was hogged
severely-hogged so severely that | bore
u. L